Electrically operated fitting

ABSTRACT

An electrically operated fitting with a fitting body that has a valve arrangement and an electrically operated drive arrangement for operating the valve arrangement. In order to produce an electrically operated fitting which is of simple and economic construction while having an attractive aesthetic design, a housing is provided for mounting purposes, in particular, for sealing abutment with an installation wall. Disposed on the housing is an actuating arrangement for an electronic unit for controlling the drive arrangement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an electrically operated fitting with a fittingbody which has a valve means and an electrically operated drive meansfor the valve means.

2. Description of the Related Art

An electrically operated fitting of the initially mentioned type isalready known from practice. In the known fitting, there are switches onthe fitting body for actuating the drive means. Placing the switches onthe fitting body makes it complex to build. In addition, the design ofthis known fitting leaves much to be desired. Finally, cleaning of thefitting in the area of the switches becomes difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is, therefore, to make available anelectrically operated fitting of the initially mentioned type which issimple and economical to build and which in addition has a pleasing,aesthetic form.

In an electrically operated fitting of the initially mentioned type, inaccordance with the present invention, this object is essentiallyachieved by there being a housing for attachment and especially forsealing contact against the installation wall and by there being anactuation device of an electronic module on the housing for triggeringthe drive means. In the invention therefore the actuation means is movedfrom the fitting body to a separate housing which can be attached to theinstallation wall. The fitting body can, therefore, be made simply andeconomically in the conventional manner, while the housing with theactuation means is used for actuation and can be easily cleaned. Thehousing in the installed state is preferably sealed relative to theinstallation wall so that water cannot splash behind the housing andcollect there.

Feasibly, the housing has not only the actuation means, but also theelectronic module which is especially integrated into the housing,therefore is made in one piece with it. The housing with the actuationmeans and the electronic module can be easily installed as a unit, andin case of repair, can be removed easily. The inside and outside seal ofthe electronic module relative to the housing ensures that nomalfunctions occur.

To impart a pleasing design to the housing, there is a cover to beplaced on the housing to essentially conceal the housing. In the cover,there is an opening which unblocks the actuation means on the housing.The cover offers the advantage that, on the one hand, attachment points,connections or openings in the housing are not visible from the outsideand that, on the other hand, when using one type of housing, via thecover different external designs can be chosen according to taste.

It is especially advantageous when the housing conceals the fitting bodyand/or the drive means, preferably completely. In this case, the entirefitting body with the drive means disappears behind the housing and canno longer be recognized from the outside. With a corresponding seal ofthe housing relative to the installation wall, it is guaranteed thatwater cannot splash behind the housing, which could adversely affect theoperation of the electrically operated fitting.

Good attachment and a reliable seal of the housing on the installationwall can be achieved, for example, via screw connections, the housingbeing attached to the installation wall, the drive means and/or thefitting body and being drawn against the installation wall as screwingis being done and seals against the installation wall.

Other features, advantages and possible applications of this inventionfollow from the following description of embodiments using the drawingsand the drawings themselves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an overhead view of a fitting as claimed in the inventionwithout the housing,

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the fitting as claimed in theinvention with the housing removed,

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the fitting with the housing attachedto the installation wall,

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the fitting as claimed in the invention withthe housing swivelled out and

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a fitting as claimed in the inventionin the assembled state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the figures, one electrically operated fitting 1 is shown at a time,the fitting being a surface-type fitting for attachment to aninstallation wall 2. The fitting could also be a flush-mounted fitting.The fitting 1 has a fitting body 3 which is provided with a supplyhousing 4 with a hot water supply 5 and a cold water supply 6.Furthermore, the fitting 1 has a valve means 7 which is located withinthe fitting body 3 and which is not detailed. The valve means 7 is usedfor cutting off and mixing hot and cold water.

While the hot water supply 5 and the cold water supply 6 are located ina common supply plane, which in the installed state of the fitting, runsroughly at a right angle to the installation wall 2, the valve means 7is not located in the supply plane, but underneath this supply plane. Itgoes without saying that the valve means could, of course, also belocated above the supply plane. This arrangement underneath one anotheryields a very low construction depth of the fitting 1.

The valve means 7, which is not explained in detail, in particular, hasa thermostatic mixing valve unit (not shown) and a cutoff valve unit.The mixing valve unit is used to mix hot water and cold water to producemixed water of stipulated temperature. The cutoff valve unit is used toopen and close the fitting 1 and for adjusting the amount. Feasibly, thecutoff valve is located in the flow direction behind the mixing valveunit.

In addition to the fitting body 3, the fitting 1 has anotherelectrically operated drive means for the valve means 7. In thisembodiment, the drive means has two servomotors 8, 9 which are eachconnected via a corresponding transmission to the mixing valve unit orthe cutoff valve unit. The valve means 7 can be adjusted via theservomotors 8, 9 for adjusting temperature and amount of the water.

It is significant here that a housing 10 is assigned to a fitting 1 andis designed for attachment and especially for sealing contact againstthe installation wall 2. There is a control panel 11 of an electronicmodule 12, outside on the housing 10, for triggering the drive means.The control panel 11 has a keyboard 13 and a display 14. The keyboard 13and the display 14 are located on a board which is not shown and whichis part of the electronic module 12. The housing 10 is made in one piecewith the control panel 11 and the electrical module 12. The controlpanel 11 and also the electronic module 12 are both sealed on the frontand back relative to the housing 10 such that water cannot reach theelectronic and electrical components of the control panel 11 and/or theelectronic module 12.

Furthermore, there is a cover 15 to be placed on the housing 10. Thecover has an opening 16 which opens to the control panel 11, butotherwise completely conceals the housing 10. In this embodiment, thecover 15 is made in one piece in the manner of a lid. In any case,multi-piece versions are possible, for example, there being two coverparts which run vertically and two which run horizontally.

As follows from FIG. 4, the cover 15 can be detachably joined to thehousing 10. Between the housing 10 and the cover 15, there is a pivotbearing 17 which is located on the top end of the housing 10. Oppositethe pivot bearing 17, therefore on the bottom end of the housing 10 andthe cover 15, there is a catch connection 18. The catch connection 18has a spring-loaded catch pin 19 which is supported on the housing 10and a catch opening which is not shown and which corresponds to thecatch pin 19.

The fitting 1 is battery-operated in this embodiment, and for thisreason, has a battery compartment 20. The battery compartment 20 has anelongated, especially tubular shape. The battery compartment can hold arow of batteries 21 for supply of the electronic module 12 and theservomotors 8, 9. The battery compartment 20 is made in one piece withthe housing 10 and as shown in FIG. 3, is located above the supplyhousing 4. To insert the batteries 21, the tubular battery compartment20 has an insertion opening 22 which can be sealed tight via a cover 23with a handle section 24. The cover 23 feasibly can be made of aelastomer material or has on the edge side, a corresponding seal so thata good sealing action results.

In this embodiment the housing 10 completely conceals the fitting body 3and the valve means 7. When the housing 10 is attached to theinstallation wall 2 and the cover 15 is seated, the fitting body 3 andthe valve means 7 cannot be seen (compare FIG. 5). In addition tooptical-aesthetic advantages, there are also practical advantages, sincewith corresponding sealing of the housing 10 relative to theinstallation wall 2, water cannot penetrate into the area behind thehousing 10. In any case, it should be pointed out that it is notabsolutely necessary to use the housing to conceal the fitting body orthe valve means. The housing with the control panel, and optionally, theelectronic module can also simply be assigned to the fitting body andattached elsewhere. It is also possible for the housing to onlypartially conceal the fitting body or the valve means, but for the coverto fully conceal these components.

The housing 10 is screwed to the fitting body 3. For this purpose, as isshown in FIG. 2, there are screws 26 which can be screwed from theoutside into the corresponding threaded holes 27 on the fitting body 3via corresponding openings 25 in the housing 10. The advantage of thistype of attachment lies in that only the fitting body 3 requiresattachment to the installation wall 2 via the corresponding screwconnections with screws 28. Therefore there need be no additional holesin the installation wall 2 for attaching the housing 10. When the screws26 are tightened to attach the housing 10, the latter is then pressedagainst the installation wall 2. To achieve a good sealing action, thereshould be a seal between the housing 10, preferably in the area of theperipheral outside edge 29 and the installation wall 2.

The electrical connection between the electronic module 12 and thebattery compartment 20 with the servomotors 8, 9 takes place viaconnecting cables 30 with the corresponding plug connectors (not shown).The electrical connection can be easily established by using plugconnectors (not shown).

As was explained above, because the supply housing 4 and the valve means7 are located underneath one another, the fitting 1 is especially flat.So that the flat construction can also be preserved when using thehousing 10, the electronic module 12, in the installed state of thehousing 10, is located in front of the comparatively flat supply housing4, while the battery compartment 20 is located above the supply housing4 running parallel to an edge of housing 10 and parallel to a transverseaxis of the cover 15. In this way, the free space between the fittingbody 3 and the outside of the housing 10 is optimally used since,underneath the supply housing 4 of the fitting body 3, there is thecomparatively low valve means 7 with the servomotors 8, 9.

In the area of the outlet 31 of the fitting body 3 there is a manuallyactuated cutoff 32. The manual cutoff 32 is used to actuate the fitting1 if the motor-driven cutoff valve unit which is (not shown) shouldfail. To be able to operate the cutoff 32 easily, in the housing 10,there is the corresponding opening 33 so that after removing the cover15, the cutoff 32 is accessible and can be actuated, for example, via atool, without the need for disassembly of the housing 10.

Mounting of the fitting 1 as claimed in the invention proceeds asfollows. First, the fitting body 3 with the corresponding eccentricconnections 34 which project out of the installation wall 2 in asurface-type fitting is screwed via screws 28. Then, the connectingcables 30 are connected, on the one hand, to the housing 10, and on theother hand, to the servomotors 8, 9 (compare FIG. 2). Then, the housing10 is screwed to the fitting body 3 via the screws 26, and in doing so,the housing 10 is pressed against the installation wall 2. In thisstate, the outlet 31 projects out of the corresponding opening 35 whichis provided on the bottom of the housing 10.

After the housing 10 has been attached, the batteries 21 can be insertedinto the battery compartment 20. Afterwards, the battery compartment 20is sealed via the cover 23. At this point, for example, a shower hose isattached to the outlet 31, while between the outlet 31 and the opening35 a seal may be provided. Finally, the cover 1 is first placed on thehousing 10 and then swivelled on until the catch pin 19 engages. Thisresults in the state shown in FIG. 5.

The fitting 1 can then be actuated via the control panel 11. Theelectronic module 12 is made such that the functions of opening,closing, quantity and temperature adjustment can be set via the keyboard13 of the control panel 11. Furthermore, it is also possible to inputcertain individually user-related programs. Adjustment of the desiredmixed water amount and temperature or the desired program is done viacorresponding pressure and/or proximity switches (not numbered) on thekeyboard 13.

What is claimed is:
 1. Electrically operated fitting comprising: afitting body with a valve; an electrically operated drive means foroperating said valve; a housing for at least partially covering at leastone of said fitting body and said drive means when said housing isinstalled; an electronic module positioned on said housing forcontrolling said drive means; and a cover mountable on said housing toat least partially cover said housing, said cover including an openinglo allow access to said electronic module; wherein said fitting bodyincludes a supply housing through which hot and cold water flows, saidvalve and said drive means being located underneath said supply housingand said electronic module being located in front of said supplyhousing; and wherein fitting is battery operated and a batterycompartment is located above said supply housing, a longitudinal axis ofbatteries held in said battery compartment being essentially parallel toa transverse axis of said cover.
 2. Electrically operated fitting ofclaim 1, wherein said electronic module is attached to said housing andis sealed thereon to prevent liquid from entering said electronicmodule.
 3. Electrically operated fitting of claim 1, wherein saidbattery compartment is accessible only with said cover removed. 4.Electrically operated fitting of claim 1, wherein said housing isattached to at least one of an installation wall, said drive means andsaid fitting body.
 5. Electrically operated fitting of claim 1, furthercomprising means for pressing said housing against an installation wall.6. Electrically operated fitting of claim 1, wherein said electronicunit is connected to said drive means via connecting cables having plugconnectors.
 7. Electrically operated fitting of claim 1, wherein saidhousing includes a seal for sealing said housing against an installationwall.
 8. Electrically operated fitting of claim 1, wherein saidelectronic module is programmable to regulate the amount and temperatureof the water.
 9. Electrically operated fitting of claim 8, wherein saidelectronic module is programmable for a plurality of in individual usersto regulate the amount and temperature of the water for each individualuser.
 10. Electrically operated fitting of claim 1, further comprising amanually actuated cutoff to allow manual operation of said valve. 11.Electrically operated fitting of claim 10, wherein said manuallyactuated cutoff is positioned proximate to an outlet of saidelectrically operated fitting; and wherein said housing includes anopening to allow access to said manually actuated cutoff, said openingbeing accessible only when said cover is removed from said housing. 12.Electrically operated fitting of claim 1, wherein said cover isdetachably mounted to said housing.
 13. Electrically operated fitting ofclaim 12, wherein said cover is mounted on said housing via a pivotbearing to allow said cover to be pivoted relative to said housing; andwherein the electrically operated fitting further comprises a catchconnection positioned between said housing and said cover, opposite saidpivot bearing, to prevent unintentional pivoting of said cover. 14.Electrically operated fitting of claim 1, wherein said batterycompartment is tubular and includes an insertion opening to allowinsertion of at least one battery.
 15. Electrically operated fitting ofclaim 14, wherein said battery compartment also includes an elastomericcover for sealing said insertion opening.